Baseball or softball gloves or mitts have a webbing into which balls are captured. The webbing must absorb a portion of the energy of the ball when struck by the ball so that the player wearing the glove can close the glove around the ball before it pops out again.
The webbing for a baseball or softball glove must be capable of effectively relieving the ball-catching shock and damping the bounce of the ball as it strikes the webbing. If properly designed, the webbing wraps around the ball and pulls the glove closed when the ball strikes the webbing. The trajectory of the ball as it enters the glove is not necessarily a straight line as when the ball is breaking due to rotation placed on the ball by contact with the bat. The spin on such balls makes the capture in the glove more difficult. The webbing of the glove must enable reliable capture of the ball even if there is an unusual spin on the ball.
It is an object, according to this invention, to provide a webbing for a baseball glove which provides the damping characteristic required to reliably capture baseballs and softballs in spite of the spin upon the ball.
It is a further object, according to this invention, to provide a novel construction of a webbing for a baseball glove which is constructed of flexible sheet material and in which leather thongs are only used, if at all, to lace the webbing in place between the padded thumb and forefinger of the glove or mitt.